Facebook announced that the 2Africa cable would now extend more than 45,000 kilometers (27,960 miles) when it complete.

The current longest undersea cable is SEA-ME-WE 3, which stretches 39,000 kilometers (24,233 miles) and connects 33 countries. The 2Africa would serve an estimated 3 billion people in 33 countries.

Facebook has invested in seven subsea internet cables, two of which are already online. Its fellow tech giant Google is also heavily invested in subsea cable-building, with five privately-owned cable projects underway. Google finished laying its 3,900-mile-long Grace Hopper cable linking the US with Spain and the UK on September 14.

When Facebook announced the 2Africa cable in May 2020 it said it would be 37,000 kilometers (22,990 miles) long. Facebook is part of a consortium of companies that have invested in the project.

According to businessinsider